CATALEPSY, a term applied to a nervous affection char acterized by sudden suspension of sensation and volition, and rigidity of the whole or of certain muscles of the body. The subjects are mostly females of highly nervous temperament. The exciting cause of an attack is usually mental emotion, either sudden, e.g. a fright, or gradual, e.g. prolonged depression. The symptoms vary even in the same individual in different attacks. Sometimes there is complete insensibility, together with a statue like appearance of the body which retains any attitude it may be made to assume during the continuance of the attack. In this condition the whole organic and vital functions appear to be reduced to the lowest possible limit consistent with life, and may simulate actual death. At other times excitement accom panies the cataleptic symptoms, and the patient sings or utters passionate exclamations, while quite unconscious. The attack may be short or may last for many hours, or even for several days; and it is conceivable that in such cases the appearances might be mistaken for real death, as is alleged to have occasionally happened. Although catalepsy is said to occur in persons in per fect health, careful inquiry will usually reveal some abnormality; in women, menstrual derangement is generally found to have pre ceded the affection. It is sometimes associated with epilepsy and with grave forms of mental disease. In ordinary cases, how ever, the mental phenomena closely resemble those of hysteria. In many subjects of catalepsy there is weakness of the will, whereby the tendency to lapse into the cataleptic state is not resisted but encouraged, and attacks may thus be induced by trivial circumstances (see HYPNOTISM).